Resource on the Ancient World

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/interactive/games/gladiator/index_embed.shtml

Click on the link above to go to a game from BBC where you must dress a gladiator for battle in the Roman arena of death, the Colosseum.  This game can help you understand what Roman gladiators need to survive in the arena of death. The way you dress, protect, and arm your gladiator will decide his fate in the battle.


"Jean-Leon Gerome Pollice Verso." Wikimedia Commons. Web. 4 Mar 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Jean-Leon_Gerome_Pollice_Verso.jpg>.

Herodotus, Thucydides, and Livy

Herodotus is also referred to as the "father of history."  He was the first historian to actually talk to people and write history based on his observations.  When Herodotus was a boy, he learned everything he knew from Homer.  During the time of his Herodotus's childhood, the Persians fought the Greeks, and this war inspired him to focus his writing on the Persian War.

Thucydides was a general in the Athenian army, and he was a leader in the Peloponnesian War.  He was exiled from the Athenian army after he lost a battle.  Unlike Herodotus, Thucydides was a scholar, he wanted to study everything that happened in the past, and write about it.  During his time as a scholar, he did most of his studying on the Peloponnesian War.

Livy was a Roman historian, other than Herodotus and Thucydides.  He wrote his books during the time of the first Roman emperor, Augustus.  Livy wrote history from the beginning of Rome, Romulus and Remus, to his own time period.  The history that was written by Livy was written in the format of many volumes.  Book 21 of Livy's history of Rome is where we get the story of Hannibal and the second Punic war.

Carr, Dr. Karen. "Herodotus." Kidipede. 15 Jan 2009. Portland State University, Web. 3 Mar 2010. <http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/literature/herodotus.htm>.

Carr, Dr. Karen. "Livy." Kidipede. 15 Jan 2009. Portland State University, Web. 3 Mar 2010. <http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/romans/literature/livy.htm>.

Carr, Dr. Karen. "Thucydides." Kidipede. 15 Jan 2009. Portland State University, Web. 3 Mar 2010. <http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/literature/thucydides.htm>.

"Hérodote." Wikimedia Commons. Web. 3 Mar 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:AGMA_H%C3%A9rodote.jpg>.


"Thucydides." Wikimedia Commons. Web. 3 Mar 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Thucydides-bust-cutout_ROM.jpg>.


"Titus Livius." Wikimedia Commons. Web. 3 Mar 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Titus_Livius.jpg>.

3rd Punic War- notes

1. Scipio Aemilianus (Roman and son of Africanus) goes to Carthage and sieges the city and completely destroy it
2. Cato the Elder was known for ending all of his speeches with "Carthage must be destroyed."
3. Cato burned and destroyed Carthage, spread salt over the remains over the land so nothing would grow there ever again

2nd Punic war- notes

1. Hannibal's father, fought Romans in Spain
• Made Hannibal take pledge that he would hate the Romans forever
2. Hannibal took his entire army and war elephants with him to go fight
3. Crossed into the Alps of Italy and landed fighting into Rome
4. Rome sends its best generals, 60,000 troops, to face down Hannibal at a  place called Cannae
5. Romans outnumbered Carthaginians on the battle field
6. 60,000 Romans die in the battle, greatest military defeat in the history of  Rome, and the world.
7. Hannibal gets as far as 50 miles from Rome and wins the major battles  but cannot win the big war, so never lays siege to the city of Rome
8. Winds up battling against the Romans in a place called Zama
9. Hannibal attacks first and sends in war elephants
10. Romans came up with a plan to stop the elephants
• Romans let elephants come in when they charged, Romans blew  horns to scare elephants and send them into the Carthaginian line
11. Zama is the decisive battle and the Romans are victorious
12. Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus defeats Hannibal in the battle of Zama

3 historians- notes

1. Herodotus- referred to as the father of history
• 1st historian to go out and talk to people and write history based on observation
• Mainly talked about the Persian Wars
2. Thucydides
• Wrote about the Peloponnesian wars
• Scholar- wanted to get the story right
3. Livy- Roman historian
• Time of Augustus
• Wrote history from Romulus and Remus all the way to his time period
• History is written in several volumes
• Book 21 of Livy's history of Rome is where we get the story of Hannibal and the second Punic war

Hannibal: Monster or Loyal?

3. Please write a brief biography of Hannibal and explain whether or not you think his reputation (in Roman eyes) as a monster was deserved.

Hannibal, son of Hamilcar Barca, was a Carthaginian general, and lived between the years 247-183 B.C.  Hannibal went with his father from Carthage to conquer Spain, and before even starting, he swore that he would hate Rome forever.  Hannibal followed the orders of his brother-in-law, Hasdrubal, in the Carthaginian dominion on the Iberian Peninsula.  When Hasdrubal died, Hannibal was chosen as the new commander-in-chief.  In only two years, Hannibal had conquered all of Spain between the Tajo and the Iberus rivers, excluding Saguntum, which was taken after eight months.  The Romans declared that this was a violation of the treaty between them and Carthage, and they wanted Hannibal to be sacrificed to them.  The Carthaginians refused to hand over Hannibal; therefore, arose the Second Punic War.  I believe that the Romans are wrong to call Hannibal a "monster."  He was appointed the commander-in-chief, and he was only doing his job.  He was born in Carthage; therefore, he hates the Romans.  They simply cannot call him a monster for doing his job.

"Hannibal (general)," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2009
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2009 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

"Hannibal Slodtz Louvre." Wikimedia Commons. Web. 1 Mar 2010. <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hannibal_Slodtz_Louvre_MR2093.png>.

1st Punic War- notes

1. By the time Athens is in its glory days, Rome is a back-water town.
2. Over the course over next several hundred years, becomes most dominant force in the world and of western civ.
3. Aeneas- last surviving Trojan
4. Brings son, father, people on a trip that leads them from Troy to Africa to Italy.
5. Goes to Carthage, Africa, queen named Dido, Aeneas and Dido fall in love.
6. Gods say its not his destiny, Aeneas leaves, Dido commits suicide
7. Latium and Trojans fight= Trojans win
8. The Greeks maintain a hold over most all of southern Italy
9. Italy is fractured into a bunch of different areas
10. Rome will bring all that together by one
11. After Trojans win, they set up a town called Alba Longa which is the capital city of Trojans living in Italy
12. Romules and Remus abandoned at birth, raised by a she-wolf
13. She-wolf and twin brothers are on A.S. Roma's logo
14. Romules and Remus had a sibling rivalry, declared war, Romules wins, Remus is dead
15. Romules founded city called Rome.
16. Etruscans live north of Rome
17. Etruscan kings rule city of Rome for several generations
18. Etruscan king named Tarquin the Proud, son named Tarquin the 6th
19. King rapes Lucretia, produces Lucius Junius Brutus
20. Lucretia kills herself and Lucius steps up and takes rule, establishes Roman Republic in 509 B.C.
21. Plebeians and patricians don’t like each other
22. Civil war is about to break out
23. Patricians and plebeians agree to make…
• Tribune of the Plebs- one seat in congress; can veto any law that Patricians try to pass; therefore all laws have to agree with the Plebeians
24. Rome decides to march through northern Italy and conquer
25. If Rome conquered, meet on battle field, set up governor, battalion, and tax-collector
26. Rome would pull from young male population to join army- 30 years mandatory to serve, if survived, got big plot of land in Italy
27. King from coast of Greece, Pyrrhus of Epirus
28. Pyrrhus invades Rome, defeats Roman army in every single battle, but cannot win the war
29. Leads to first major conflict that the Romans are in
• First of 3 Punic Wars
30. 264 B.C.- Roman allies complain about the Carthaginians tying to take power from them
31. Rome comes and tries to help
32. Ends with in war with Carthage
33. 2nd Punic War will establish Roman identity for the next several hundred years